A Caribbean veterinarian on the front lines of climate and animal health

In the Caribbean, One Health is a way of life - the health of animals, humans and the environment is deeply intertwined. Few people embody this connection as clearly as Dr Nyoni Winchester, a livestock veterinarian and academic based in Grenada. As a faculty member at St George's University, Grenada, her work extends far beyond the classroom, tackling some of the region's most pressing challenges, such as rising ambient temperatures and other escalating impacts of climate change.

A foundation in Caribbean veterinary science

Dr Winchester is a first-generation veterinarian from Tobago, part of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. She did not always want to be a veterinarian, but her passion for development, nature and everything agriculture led her to a range of studies in veterinary studies and public health. This unique combination of clinical veterinary science and public health underscores her commitment to a One Health approach.

Dr Winchester plays a critical role in shaping the next generation of veterinarians, teaching clinical skills and delivering lectures on climate change, livestock production, reproduction and nutrition.

Climate change and health leadership

In 2023, Dr Winchester was selected as a fellow for the PAHO and University of the West Indies (UWI) Climate Change and Health Leaders Fellowship Training Program that was funded by the European Union.

As part of this work, she hosted Grenada's First Symposium for Heat Threshold Development, an event that brought attention to how rising temperatures impact livestock and workers in the Caribbean. This fellowship reflected her determination to advocate for the effects of climate change on animal and human health, as well as regional food security.

Agricultural work in the Caribbean means dealing with high temperatures while doing physical work. As a popular region for tourism, the Caribbean is known for its beautiful sunny weather almost year-round - but holidaymaking and working with livestock are very different activities.

During her fellowship, Dr Winchester visited workers at farms to conduct interviews and surveys. It was during these visits that she noted wide brimmed hats used by most of the workers, some made from large circles of cardboard fitted around a cap.

At the culmination of her fellowship, she presented recommendations such as ensuring children are not playing outside in the hottest time of day, that elderly patients have appointments at cooler times of day and are helped with transportation to and from medical facilities and advice to agricultural managers to arrange workloads around peak temperatures to avoid heat stress for workers and livestock. Her seemingly simple recommendations continue to raise awareness among farmers and policymakers, demonstrating that protecting animal health and adapting to a warming world is not just an agricultural issue; it is a public health priority. Localized interventions and data-gathering efforts can be scaled up to inform adaptation plans, protect food systems and help even more communities across the Caribbean and beyond.

A little going a long way

At the end of the fellowship, Dr Winchester had a small amount of money left over, which she decided to use to implement some of the recommendations from her fellowship project to help cool those who needed it the most.

Dr Winchester used the remaining funds to purchase standing fans, reusable water bottles and wide-brimmed hats. She delivered the hats and water bottles to agricultural workers and the fans to aged care homes and shelters for women and children.

"I was overwhelmed by the reactions by the people at the aged care homes and women's shelter when I brought the fans. Such a small thing made such a big difference. I only wish I could bring more fans, or even air conditioners, to more people."

Every action, big or small, makes a world of difference

The Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH) is a network of over 100 countries and over 100 partners working together to promote climate action to protect health. Climate and health action can take the form of negotiating international policies, nurturing regional agreements, developing national strategies, engaging with local communities, or simply ensuring a neighbour is taken care of during extreme heat events.

The Alliance empowers its members to take concrete climate and health action at all levels of the health sector and beyond, promoting the integration of climate and health priorities into national, regional and global plans. Dr Winchester's work in Grenada exemplifies this approach, demonstrating that individual initiatives, when supported by networks like ATACH, can create lasting change.